How Spikeball Built a Brand with Almost No Budget
Source Summary
Spikeball has taken a unique approach to grow their brand and sport, in that there is no carefully crafted plan at all. With a media budget of “next to nothing”, Spikeball Inc. founder Chris Ruder says the company has relied on sharing user-generated content to grow their audience, and so far it’s working. On TikTok the #spikeball hashtag has nearly 300 million views, and the company’s account has 1.3 million followers, with another 510,000 followers on Instagram. What’s even more remarkable is that, despite the numbers, Ruder says they “don’t think (they) have spent a nickel” on TikTok. Looking forward, Ruder and the Spikeball team plan on doing more of the same and are hoping to tap into the streaming industry with documentary style content. The move to keep an eye on streaming services was inspired by the success of sports like Formula 1, which saw a major popularity boost after a documentary-style series on Netflix.
OUR TAKE
Today, nearly all businesses have a social media presence, investing loads of time and money into branded content with hopes of building a strong relationship with customers. But ironically it’s Spikeball’s lack of investment in media content that is a key factor of its success. By relying on sharing customers’ videos and stories, they are able to generate authentic content that showcases what makes their game so fun. With streaming plans on the horizon, the spikeball team seems to be continuing to provide authentic content that showcases the stories and customer experiences that their game is all about.